Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease today.

[Liberty Belle]

He also has Alzheimer's and hasn't been able to tolerate any of the Alzheimer drugs so far, so I'm worried the Parkinson's medications may also cause him more problems.

Can anyone suggest anything that's worked to relieve Parkinson's symptoms, particularly shuffling gate, weakness, and spacing out/memory issues?

We're all very worried about him.

[Warpy]

1. There are several good drugs out there that will relieve his

symptoms, and most of them don't have terrible side effects. They do have to be timed, though, to give him maximum benefit during the day rather than at night.

His doc will tell you how to time the drugs.

The main problem with anti Parkinson's drugs is that they only are effective for a few years. The dose has to be increased, and eventually they just don't work any more.

Stem cell research is our best bet to cure Parkinson's since one specific area of the brain is what is destroyed. Stem cells could rebuild that area.

Oh, I forgot. Compassionate conservatives want us to wring every last bit of misery out of life while stem cells are thrown into the garbage.

[Liberty Belle]

2. Thanks.

I hope the Parkinson's drugs work. Unfortunately every single Alzheimer's drug they've tried had bad side effects worse than the disease, so he hasn't been able to take them.

Stem cell research is also the best hope for Alzheimer's, but as you've noted, the compassionless conservatives don't care.

If there is any justice, Bush and all the other right-wing wackos should all succumb to brain diseases that could've been cured if they would have supported stem cell research.

Oh, I forgot. They don't have brains - or hearts.